You never really can fix a heart
by IrishCourtney
Summary: Alex and Piper never went to prison but after 8 years, will fate bring them back together? Both women have new lives but one look can send it all flying... Are they meant to be, or are the better off separated? A/U Rates M for smut. Vauseman!
1. Chapter 1

"Sylvie, come on, just pick a damn color! It's only your guestroom; no one will be looking at it!" Alex huffed, folding her long arms against her chest. She rolled her eyes at the shorter brunette. "This is so fucking boring" Alex sighed quietly and leaned her head against a metal shelf.

"It's an important decision! If you would ask me to move in with you, we wouldn't have this issue, and yes, my parents will be looking at it when they stay over for the holidays." Sylvia raised an eyebrow, challenging Alex. She waited a moment before nodding her head in victory and returning her attention to the never ending color samples. Alex's silence was the only conformation she needed to know she has won the argument.

"Slyv-, we have been over this, I am just not ready yet." Alex protested softly, feeling guilty. They had lived together over 8 years ago, and abruptly broke up when a certain blonde woman charged into Alex's life, leaving her completely and utterly enamored.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, I am just messing with you Al." her voice was uninterested in Alex's excuse. Alex winced slightly at the nickname. Piper had been the only person to call her that and every time Sylvia tried, it felt wrong and uncomfortable.

Alex brushed one hand through her long black hair. It glided easily through the silk strands. She pushed her thick rimmed black glasses up on her head, before fiddling with an object on an end cap of the painting isle.

"Larry, I am not saying it will never happen I just need some more time, alright?" a familiar voice traveled from the next isle.

Alex's head snapped up, recognizing the voice. Her swift hand pushed her glasses down on the bridge of her nose. She leaned away from Sylvia and peered into the next isle. A man glanced at Alex's peeking face before smiling politely. The blonde had her back turned to Alex, studying the expression of her boyfriend.

"Why are you smiling?" She voice was confused; she turned around to see no one. Her eyebrows furrowed together.

"Oh, there was just a person there, she moved before you looked." He explained quickly.

"Ah" Piper went back to looking at items on her shelf.

Alex froze against the end cap. Her heart was about to jump out of her throat. 'There is no fucking way that was Piper.' She thought to herself, knowing that she would recognize her voice and hair in a heartbeat, there was no doubt that it was Piper.

'Do I say hi?' she wondered quietly. 'No, I have Sylvie here and she is obviously with someone, why would I say hello. It's been 8 years!'

"Alex? Hello earth to Alex?" Sylvia called out, staring at the taller woman. "You look like you saw a ghost, you alright?" She moved closer to Alex with a few bright paint samples in her hand. She rested one hand on her shoulder with a worried look on her face.

"What?" Alex shook herself from the thoughts.

"You alright space cadet?" Sylvia joked while turning her attention to the paint brushes next to Alex.

"I… I um… I just think I saw someone I knew, that's all." Alex tried to convince herself that it was it.

Piper heard the raspy voice travel as she made her way to the end of the isle. Her head shot up, listening intently for the woman to speak again.

'That's not… no it's not Piper, why would you even think that is who it was.' she scolded herself silently, creeping to the end of the isle. She felt her hands clam up as she rounded the corner. She decided to change directions, not wanting to right about her thoughts. 'I can't face her, not now… not ever…'

"You alright Piper?" Larry called out as they turned the isle.

"Um… I think I just need to use the bathroom, I'll be back in a few minutes okay?" Piper walked briskly to the bathroom, not looking behind her. She knew her voice was loud enough to catch the other woman's ear. She rushed into the small bathroom and held onto the counter for support. The bathroom was a dull blue with grey tiles. There were two small stalls and a counter which held hand soap and a white sink.

Piper ran the water and splashed some onto her face, trying to calm herself.

The door creaked open slowly and Piper froze. She held her breath and closed her eyes.

She opened them slowly, peering into the mirror. Behind her was none other than Alex Vause. Piper stared incredulously for a moment. Her eyes raked over the taller woman's black flowing hair, onto her low cut black v neck. Piper's mouth fell slack from the site. It had been years since she had seen Alex and the same breath taking beauty as she had when they first met.

She spun around to find Alex with her signature smirk playing at her taut lips.

"Maybe this is a bad time to say hi." She spoke quietly, with a forced sense of collection in her voice. Her voice was deep and raspy which made a chill run through Piper's spine. She fought the urge to bring the other woman into a bone crushing hug. She had spent years trying to glue her heart together after they broke up.

"Hi…" Piper breathed out, taking in the beauty in its fullest. The pair of green emerald eyes did the same to Piper. They drank each other in slowly. Alex's eyes settled on the curves of her porcelain face. She admired the natural curve of jaw, which Alex had loved to place soft, sensual kisses.

Piper licked her lip softly; she couldn't help herself from staring at the curves of the brunette's body which were hugged through her tight clothing perfectly.

They stood silently, raking each other's features over slowly.

"How... how have you been Al?" Piper broke the silence

Alex smiled lightly at the nickname. It flowed from her tongue perfectly. It felt like home to Alex. She sighed contently before answering.

"I have been alright, what about you Pipes?" She winced at the painful small talk. She craved the blonde in the worst way, but couldn't bring herself to move from her position.

Piper shifted her weight around nervously.

"I have been better" She blurted out before turning a slight shade of pink.

"As have I." Alex replied quietly in agreement, knowing Piper had felt the same about her still.

She moved closer to the blonde, feeling utterly decomposed. Her hand stretched out to caress the blonde's cheek softly. Alex admired the color under her fingers. Piper closed her eyes and repressed a noise of appreciation. Her skin burned passionately under the touch of Alex. She felt her heart melt as electricity flowed through her veins. Piper suddenly wondered how she made it 8 years without the touch of Alex Vause.

Alex brushed the pads of her fingers slowly down her cheek, onto her jaw. Piper inhaled deeply, enjoying the contact. For a moment she forgot where she was and who she was with, she focused on Alex. Her mind went back to 23 and nothing had changed. She was traveling the world with the love of her life and she was happy. Alex's fingers lightly brushed the dark circles under her eyes. She could tell Piper hadn't been sleeping much and wished to tell her to take care of herself better. She stayed silent, exploring the features of the blonde woman before her. Piper instinctively reached her hand to place it on top of Alex's. She didn't pull back, but guided her down her face, to cup the back of her neck softly. Alex pulled her in slowly, eliminating the space between their two radiating bodies. Piper didn't resist as Alex guided her lips to collide with Pipers. Piper's mind clouded with memories of the two. They made love in over thirty foreign countries. Piper remembered the feel of Alex's lips on her own. She craved the touch. She wanted to taste the brunette again. Piper knew it was wrong but her mind and heart told her to give in. She felt like recovering drug addict who was about to experience heroin for the first time in almost a decade. The high was indescribable, and undeniably exciting.

Piper closed her eyes slowly, anticipating impact. Alex crushed her lips against the blonde's softly. They stood still for a moment, shocked at the contact, before moving into habitual opened mouth kisses. Alex brought her other hand to Piper's cheek and held her gently in place. Piper wrapped her arms around the brunette tightly, holding on for dear life. Alex brushed her tongue along Piper's lip as they kissed. Piper opened her mouth slightly to allow access to Alex's eager tongue. The pace quickened as Alex found a rush of desire flow through her. She pushed Piper against the counter, before removing her hands to lift her up. Piper pulled her In between her spread legs to create contact again. Alex pulled back slightly, staring into Piper's lust filled eyes before crashing her lips back into the blonde's with such intense passion it could have ignited them both on fire.

"Oh Al…" Piper moaned out softly under the furious lips of her ex-lover.

"Piper…" Alex responded back, rubbing one hand gently up her thigh.

"I really shouldn't… I have a… uh… boyfriend." Piper tried to choke out as Alex's lips moved to place sensual kisses along her jaw and neck. She sucked gently at Piper's neck, making a small noise escape her lips. It had always been Piper's weak spot. Piper could feel herself building desire, particularly showing the proof in her panties. Larry was slipping from her mind quickly, his place being filled with Alex.

"I have a girlfriend…" Alex responded between kisses, her tone implying that it did not bother her. Her tone was indifferent, she could have been comparing baseball cards; she knew Piper had a guilty conscious, but Alex was determined to make the blonde scream her name.

Piper's fingers grasped at the long black hair. Piper gained control, slightly pulling a fist full of hair down, making Alex's chin pop up. Piper took the moment of opportunity to press their lips together. Piper decided she was giving up and letting Alex control her body now. She melted into Alex, letting go of all hesitation.

Alex sensed her eagerness and tugged at the blonde's jeans, pulling them off completely. Her shoes fell to the floor beside the two and Alex's lips remained on Piper's. She let her fingers graze the lace panties; she used her middle finger on both hands to pull the fabric off seductively. She felt the wetness spreading on the fabric and smirked into Piper's lips.

At once, all of the feelings the two women once had, poured into their bodies and filled them with desire to make up for lost time.

Alex slid off the black panties and pushed back into Piper to continue kissing her passionately. She let one hand move to the blonde's center. She brushed two long fingers against Piper's moist slit.

Alex cocked an eyebrow at the pleasant surprise.

"All this for me?" her voice full of sexual desire.

"Yes… please… I need you inside me… please fuck me!" Piper whined out, needing contact.

Alex wasted no time coating her fingers in Piper's juices and entered the blonde slowly. Piper's head fell back in pleasure. Alex lips caressed her neck and exposed collar bone. She increased her pace slightly, pumping the two fingers inside while her thumb rubbed small circles into the blonde's clit. Piper moaned quietly and bucked her hips, pushing Alex further inside. Alex could feel Piper's soft walls clench around her curled fingers as she hit Piper's weak spot perfectly. Piper breathing hitched and she couldn't help from moaning out. Alex lifted her free hand under Piper's blue loose fitting shirt to knead her breast. She felt Piper's hard nipple under her fingers, making Piper's eyes roll back.

"Oh god, I fucking missed this, oh Alex" Piper closed her eyes and rode Alex's fingers.

Alex pushed faster and harder inside the blonde. Piper moved her hand to grip Alex's shoulder for support. She felt herself building inside quickly. Larry had never been able to get Piper off like Alex had. She had faked one too many orgasms with her boyfriend. Alex's hands worked furiously as Piper reached her climax. She was about to scream out when Alex put her hand over the blonde's mouth.

"Shhh"Alex cooed quietly, as the blonde shook underneath her, riding out her glorious orgasm. She finally calmed down and laid her head against the brunettes shoulder.

Alex pulled her fingers up and licked both slowly; tasting the blonde like she was brownie batter. Piper kissed Alex softly. She moaned at the taste of herself on Alex's lips.

"Fuck." Piper breathed out, trying to recover.

Alex smirked and helped Piper get dressed. She squeezed her bare ass before Piper pulled on her tight jeans.

"I missed you Piper." Alex spoke softly, pulling the blonde into an embrace.

"I missed you too Alex, so fucking much." She admitted into the brunette's shoulder.

Alex walked out of the bathroom with Piper following behind. She picked a marker up from a shelf and wrote her number on the blonde's arm. She winked and gave her another passionate kiss to her lips before walking away to find her girlfriend.

"You better call me Piper Chapman." She smirked and disappeared around the corner.

Piper made her way in a daze to Larry.

"Damn, I was about to call a search rescue team Pipes…"

"Sorry Lar- lost track of time I guess." She spoke quietly, feeling guilty for her spontaneous cheating. They moved to the cash registers to cash out. She glanced down the row of cashiers to see a pair of green eyes boring into her. She smiled as she realized Alex had been watching her. She moved her eyes to the woman next to her. Piper's expression faltered as she recognized the shorter brunette.

Sylvia. Piper frowned at the site. Alex moved towards the door, staring at Piper the entire time. She passed by the blonde, locking eyes with her before disappearing out the door. Sylvia was towing her out and Alex put her hand up to her face mimicking a phone.

"Call me" She mouthed before smirking and leaving the building. Piper rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Pipes, why is there a phone number on your arm?" Larry eyes the number sprawled across her tan arm.

"Oh I ran into an old friend on my way back from the bathroom, she wanted to catch up and I didn't have any paper so…" Piper tried to stick to the truth the best she could.

Larry nodded, clueless and they left the store.

Piper couldn't get Alex out of her mind; she still could feel her fingers inside her. Piper craved more, wanting to taste the tall woman again. She pulled out her phone and called her best friend for advice. Larry had walked to the corner store to pick up milk after they got home.

"Hey Piper" Polly answered the phone after two rings.

"Pol- you are never going to believe what happened." Piper squeaked in excitement, she tried to contain her emotion.

"Spill it" She recognized the voice of her best friend when something juicy happened, mainly in her love life.

"I uh… ran into Alex at the store today." Piper bit her lip, waiting for a response.

"Super cunt?" Polly spoke loudly "No way! Did she talk to you?"

"She uh, did a bit more than talk to me…" Piper bit her lip harder, feeling sense of excitement and guilt mix in her.

"Piper… do not tell me you fucked her…" Polly asked in shock

"Well, technically she fucked me, sooo…" Piper smiled at the memory.

"Oh my God!" Polly cried out. "How long were you together before that went down? Or maybe I should say before _she _went down. Where was it? Where was Larry? God you are a stupid lesbian!"

"Hey now! I like boys too… It was at the hardware store, Larry was in the isle, and so was her girlfriend, or well ex-girlfriend/new girlfriend? I don't know; it was the one who lit a bag of shit on fire on my door step, I think they are back together. Anyways, I heard her voice in an isle and I knew she saw me so I told Larry I was going to the bathroom, she followed me and well… two minutes later I was screaming her name." Piper shrugged her shoulders.

"Wow. Two minutes was all it took for you to hop back on the lesbian train?" She laughed loudly. "I am sorry, the sort of lesbian train." She corrected herself.

Piper smiled and giggled. "God Polly, I know it was wrong and fucked up, but I haven't come like that in… years!"

"Well I am glad you are thinking with your libido again, it always does make the best decisions for you, huh?" Polly joked lightly

"Shut it Pol. Ugh! She wrote her number on my arm, should I call her?"

"Piper, you have a boyfriend… I mean do you want to call her?"

"I know, I know, but Alex just… she is just Alex. Part of me wants to call and the other part of me knows if I do, it is inevitable I will fall back in love with her. I created a nice life after her and I am not sure I want to fuck that up. Ugh I don't know what to do Pol."

"Piper, listen, I want the best for you, which ideally would be Larry. He is safe, predictable, could give you a family and he loves you. As your best friend, I can tell that you will always have a love for Alex. She is your one person that no matter how hard you try, they will always end up back in your life. Like you said, it's inevitable. I can see your happiness when you're with her, so you have to choose. It's either your mind, which tells you to play it safe with Larry, or your heart, which will lead you to super cunt time after time. I think you know what to do, you just don't want to deal with the consequences of it."

"Pol, when did you become Doctor Phil?

"Right after I helped you recover from that bad break up with Super cunt. That shit ruined you Piper. Just be careful, if she hasn't changed, history will repeat itself, and if she has, are you sure it for the better?" she reminded her.

Larry opened the apartment door, returning from his shopping trip. He smiled brightly at piper, setting down the bags of groceries.

"Thanks Pol, Larry is back, I'll call you later alright?" She rushed her goodbyes and ended the call

Piper put the milk in the fridge before stepping outside of their apartment with her phone. She took a deep breath before dialing the number written on her arm in black sharpie. She listened to the phone ring a few times before it was picked up,

"Hello?" A raspy voice spoke out.

"Maybe this is a bad time to say hi?" Piper asked shyly.


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry for the long absence, I've been working on my other story Paging Doctor Chapman and I haven't really invested in another other than that. This chapter is quick but if you guys are interested, I'll keep working on it; I just had a minute where I wanted to write more of this slight AU, so I sat down and did. In this story, if anyone is wondering; Alex's mom didn't die when Piper left. Piper just couldn't take Alex's dedication to her job anymore. I hope you enjoy this one! - Courtney**

Alex hung up the phone with Piper after an hour-long conversation. She immediately dialed Nicky.

"Hey Vause, I'm two minutes away, I brought beer!" Her best friend picked up the phone and skipped the traditional greeting.

"Alright, see you soon Nichols." She hung up the phone, and forced herself to calm down. Thoughts of Piper swirled in her mind; blasting through every wall, she put up.

Nicky Nichols had been friends with Alex for several years. She had originally picked Nicky up as a mule; but the pair hit it off after the first five minutes. She was honest with Nicky and asked her to be a drug mule. Nicky was up for the challenge, not to mention all of the benefits. She wanted to travel, earn ridiculous amounts of cash and not have to find a real job. There was only so much heroin she could be around before she fell victim to its euphoric charm. Nicky struggled to stay clean for many years after her downfall. Alex never gave up or turned her back. Nicky fell off the wagon several times before she met Lorna Morello. The one good thing in her life; the only reason she _wanted _to be clean.

Alex held her head in her hands and focused on breathing.

Piper Chapman. The woman that left her eight years ago. The woman that _abandoned_ her eight years ago. It took one look and Alex was putty in her hands. She fell back into her the blonde's arms without hesitation.

Piper Chapman. Undeniably the love of her life. The only woman, other than her mother, that she would lay her life out on the line for. She made the mistake of letting Piper go years ago and has regretted not chasing her ever since.

**Flashback:**

**"Alex, you have been on the computer for hours. Why don't you turn that thing off; come to lunch with me and tell me how much you love me and how cute I am." The blonde smiled brightly at a very distracted Alex.**

**"Pipes, I would love nothing more than to do that, but I am so fucking stressed and I need to get this shit done" She didn't turn her attention away from the screen; Alex's fingers typed furiously as she struggled to balance her personal life with her illegal career.**

**The blonde-haired woman's smile fell, along with her pride.**

**"But you're always so fucking stressed. Alex; I know this is your job, but I am literally going insane. You never take the time to talk to me unless its 3 am and you just climbed in bed, hoping to get a piece before you return back to work." She grimaced, spilling the truth.**

**Alex's fingers paused slightly as she listened to the blonde's pleas.**

**"Piper, I'm sorry. What do you want me to say? I have responsibilities and Kubra is dragging me through a ton of shit. I'm late on these emails as it is and I just don't have time to play house with you okay?"**

**Her words slapped Piper in the face. Alex immediately regretted her words as she saw her girlfriends blue eye's fall to the floor and fill with tears.**

**Piper searched for the words to reply, but just shook her head. As she went to leave, Alex jumped out of her seat and caught her wrist.**

**"Hey, hey, look I'm really sorry, I didn't mean that. Look, let me just finish this email and we can go to lunch okay?"**

**Piper hesitated for a moment, wanting to curse Alex out and leave her in the hotel alone, for hours, wondering where Piper could have gone. She quickly realized that this was an opportunity to spend time with Alex and if she passed it up, there might not be another one for days or even weeks.**

**"Okay."**

**"Okay?"**

**"Finish your email, and we can go." Piper smiled slightly, still hurt by her previous words. Alex cupped Piper's cheek in her hand softly and looked into her sad blue eyes.**

**"I'll only be a minute alright?" Piper nodded and went to sit on the bed to wait.**

**"Pipes?" Alex called out after returning to her position in front of the laptop.**

**Piper stared silently, listening to Alex's nervous voice.**

**"Would you be up for a trip to Istanbul this weekend?"**

**Piper's face immediately lit up with excitement.**

**"YES!" She shouted brightly. Piper wanted nothing more than some time alone with Alex. She felt Alex drowning slowly under her workload.**

**"Oh, God, thank you Pipes, I swear, you'll only be there for a day, you can fly home the same night." Relief rolled off the brunette in strong waves.**

**Piper froze and reality hit her straight in the heart. '****_You_**** can fly home the same night. ****_You_****, as in, not we.'**

**She set her jaw and felt a chuckle ripple through her chest. Alex stared at her with a confused expression.**

**"For a second, I was stupid enough to think that we would go on a vacation, you know like a normal couple." She rose off the bed and made her way for the door. She paused before reaching the open frame. "I thought I was clear when I said I would ****_never _****do that again Alex." She turned to stare at the taller woman. Her glare made Alex shiver slightly.**

**"Piper! I'm fucking drowning here and you won't even ****_conside_****r helping me?"**

**"Fuck you Alex, I have been ****_patient_**** and I have tried to stay out of the way; but I told you I would ****_never _****carry another bag of drug money for you again. Am I just another ****_mule_**** for you to fuck?" Piper screeched at her.**

**Alex felt her anger rising.**

**"No Piper! You were never a ****_fucking mule_****, we are a ****_team _****and I ****_need _****you to help me!" She raised her tone to match Pipers.**

**"I'm done Alex. I'm****_ fucking_**** done." She turned back towards the door.**

**"Don't you fucking leave me Piper." Alex cried out; a hint of fear and anger spilled from her tone.**

**Piper froze once more. A long moment passed before she turned to brunette with a blank expression.**

**"Alex, you are a drug dealer and it is ruining everything good in your life." Her face displayed her pain perfectly. "I can't be a part of this anymore Alex. All I ever wanted was your time, but it's clear to me that you have other priorities. I would tell you to call me when you are ready to put me first, but I won't waste my breath." Before she could stop herself she let three words spill from her mouth that would forever change her life. "Good bye Alex." Without missing a beat, Piper turned from her position and left the apartment.**

Alex sighed heavily. She allowed Piper to escape her life and didn't have the courage to chase her.

Her phone buzzed quietly, tearing her away from her mudded thoughts.

Piper: 'Wanna meet for coffee tomorrow? The café on Main Street, 9am?'

She smiled brightly at her phone. She quickly replied.

Alex: 'I'll be there, wear something sexy ;]'

She smirked, knowing the blonde would blush at her text. It only took a moment for the reply to come in.

Piper: 'Alex!'

Alex: 'What? I was kidding! I mean, but if you happen to wear something that exposes a lot of your skin, I wouldn't be upset…'

Piper: 'I'll see you tomorrow morning Al.'

Alex laughed loudly and as she went to reply, Nicky burst through the door with a six-pack in her hand.

She nodded at her best friend and motioned for the wild haired woman to join her on the couch.

Alex smiled down at her phone mindlessly.

Alex: 'Goodnight Piper, dream of me ;]'

"Why are you smiling at your phone like a dope?" Nicky passed her a bottle and plopped into the seat beside her.

"No reason." Alex's grin got wider. Nicky rolled her eyes and shifted her body to face Alex more.

"Spill it Vause; I haven't seen you this happy since… Shit I don't know, the time I puked all over that girl from the club?"

Alex let out another hearty laugh.

"Shit, that was fuckin' funny, but I don't know; I just ran into someone today and… I don't know…"

"Was this particular person a hot female?"

Alex nodded a little too quickly. Nicky raised her eyebrows and waited for more information.

Alex sighed, took a swig of her beer and decided to tell her.

"I might have seen… my ex… and ended up fucking her in the bathroom of the hardware store while Sylvie was picking out paint." Alex rushed the horrible truth quickly as she ran her hand through her black hair nervously.

Nicky choked on her beer and slammed it on the coffee table. "I'm sorry, you fuckin' what?!" Her grin reached ear to ear.

"I fucked Piper Chapman today Nichols, don't make me admit it again."

"Holy shit, I… I can't even believe this now. The devil herself? Chapman? The one who left you all those years ago and has prevented you from loving another human creature since?" Nicky leaned in for conformation.

Alex nodded and exhaled deeply.

"I am so fucked" She shook her head and closed her eyes.

"I am so fucked" Piper breathed out as she got ready for bed. Piper could feel herself falling for the brunette; hook, line and sinker. She knew nothing about the present Alex Vause. _Was she still in a cartel? Are she and Sylvia back together?_ Of course, she said she had a girlfriend. Piper's mind ran wild as she thought about Alex_. Would Alex want to get back together? Was it a onetime fling? _Well she agreed to coffee, so obviously it meant slightly more than a quick fuck in the bathroom. _Should she tell Larry? Would she be willing to leave Larry?_

Piper was interrupted from her rapid questions as Larry approached her.

"Hey Pipes, ready for bed?" He kissed her fore head and motioned towards their bedroom.

She nodded slightly.

She loved Larry. He was sweet, dependable and always put her first. Larry was also slightly immature and not the best lover in bed, but he was stable and that was more than she could say for Alex Vause. At least, the Alex that she left behind all those years ago.

Piper slept beside her boyfriend of six years. Her mind filled with nothing other than Alex Vause.

Alex Vause was inevitable and Piper knew it was only a matter of time.


End file.
